the_bestiaryfandomcom-20200213-history
Atmoran
Atmoran are a race featured in the Elder Scrolls series. They are the progenitor race to the humans, notably the Nords. History Merethic Era The first expeditions made by the Atmorans to Tamriel occurred around the Merethic Era. Centuries later, the warrior-hero Ysgramor would organize a great colonizing fleet to Skyrim and Solstheim in the middle of a great civil war in Atmora. Ysgramor's fleet crossed the Sea of Ghosts and landed at Hsaarik Head at the extreme northern tip of Skyrim's Broken Cape, and then they moved inland. They built the legendary city of Saarthal, the earliest known settlement founded by Men on Tamriel, and established a connection with the native Snow Elves, and the two groups would live in relative peace. Eventually, the Elves attacked Saarthal, and killed off the entire Atmoran populace living there, with the exception of Ysgramor and his sons, Yngol and Ylgar, and an Atmoran man who came to be known as Ahzidal. Ysgramor and his sons fled the city, and returned to Atmora soon after. This untimely event would soon be known as the Night of Tears. Several theories had been proposed to attempt to explain the Snow Elves' fateful assault on Saarthal. One theory was that they had begun to notice the comparatively faster growth of the Atmoran people's population, and so they attacked the Atmorans with the intent of bringing the proliferation of the new settlers under control, as the Mer had long been accustomed of doing with the Nede populations of Men in Tamriel. Another theory was that the Atmorans had discovered a mysterious, magical artifact known as the Eye of Magnus deep below the foundations of Saarthal, and so the Snow Elves attacked the Atmoran's settlement in order to secure it for themselves. The Return When Ysgramor and his sons returned to Atmora, they brought stories of Elven treachery and the slaughter of Saarthal's settlers to their kin. This moved the bravest men and fiercest women of Atmora to band together into a large companionship, with the aim of avenging their fallen and to permanently claim Skyrim from the Elves. These Atmoran warriors became the first Companions. Ysgramor took command of the elite group of warriors and hunters, who in time would become known as the legendary Five Hundred Companions, and the fleet of the war band set sail from the southernmost Atmoran city of Jylkurfyk to invade Tamriel on the Day of Final Passage. Soon after the Five Hundred had made landfall in Skyrim they overran and reclaimed Saarthal, and in their wrathful onslaught began to pursue the scattering and fleeing Snow Elves relentlessly across the width and breadth of the land. This unprecedented conquest of Mer lands by Men made the ascendancy of humans possible for the first time on the continent of Tamriel, and would eventually lead to the establishment of the First Empire by Men. The legacy of these momentous events, known to Tamrielic historians as "The Return", became enshrined in legend in Nordic and later on in Imperial cultures, and continues to profoundly shape the relationships between Men and Mer, even many thousands of years later. The Settling of Skyrim & Beyond As the crews of the Five Hundred Companions parted ways with Ysgramor after the retaking of Sarthaal and established the Circle of Captains, they would venture out into the new land and gradually interbreed with the Nedic human population of Skyrim, whom they inadvertently had liberated from the rule of Mer through their campaigns of conquest against the Snow Elves. Through this, the Companions gave rise to the modern-day bloodline of the Nords. Those settlers of Atmora who came after and ventured west into High Rock intermingled with the Aldmer living there, becoming the progenitors of the Breton people. Others who moved southward were captured and enslaved by the Ayleids, and interbred with the Nedic humans of Cyrodiil during their captivity. Their offspring would eventually overthrow the Ayleids under leadership of the Nede slave queen Alessia, and begin the bloodline that would lead to the modern-day Imperials. As the crews of the Five Hundred roamed Skyrim and Solstheim during these years, many of them continued to raid Elvish settlements and stalk Mer stragglers up until the moment of Ysgramor's death, after which they laid down their weapons in a terrible grief and in homage to their legendary harbinger. The last two ships from Atmora pulled into a harbor with more than half their crews dead. Atmora eventually became a frozen wasteland, and the Atmorans who remained there are likely to have perished. Appearance The Atmorans appear extremely similar to the Nords and Imperials. Culture Faith The Atmorans were known to venerate the animal avatars of the Aedra. When they migrated to Skyrim and Solstheim, they brought this religion with them and it became part of the fledgling Nordic culture. As it was in Atmora, the Dragon Priests ruled over the Atmoran populace at the behest of their Dragon overlords. It has also been rumored that Atmorans (or at least early Nords) once all worshiped the All-Maker, and that the Ancient Nordic pantheon developed as a heresy of religion still practiced by the Skaal. Conversely, it is also speculated that the belief in the All-Maker stemmed from a heresy of the Ancient Nordic pantheon. Trivia & Notes (To Be Added) Category:Races Category:Elder Scrolls Races